Pain is nothing more than a warning system that something is
wrong with your body. So if a doctor treats the underlying injury or
disease, this will usually relieve the pain or, at least, reduce it to
more manageable levels. As a simple example, taking an antibiotic will
usually cure the targeted bacterial infection, eliminate the infection
and remove the pain. This highlights an important lesson. Analgesics or
painkillers are intended to deal with the problems caused by the pain.
They do not treat the underlying disorder causing the pain. Thus,
doctors aim to diagnose the cause of the pain and treat it as best they
can while managing the pain. In chronic conditions, the pain is
increasingly treated as a disease in its own right, justifying separate
forms of therapy from trained professionals specializing in pain
management.
The research shows that a range of treatments not relying on
medication produces good results. This includes massage and
rehabilitation therapy designed to keep muscle tone and get the body
moving again after injury or disease has reduced mobility. The benefits
come both from the physical work done by the therapist, and also from
the supportive bond that can develop between the patient and therapist.
This can be allied with learning relaxation techniques and rediscovering
swimming as an excellent form of exercise for the muscles not relying
on joints overcoming gravity. Moving into the fringe world of
technology, there is the long-running TENs machine and the newly
emerging pulsed magnetic field equipment (which, as yet, does not have
FDA approval). Such machines are said to produce significant relief
among patients who believe in the power of the machines - not unlike
acupuncture which also requires the patient to have confidence in the
system. However, the best approach is cognitive behavioral therapy which
teaches people how to maximize their mobility within the limitations
imposed by the pain.
The point of these therapies is to avoid you becoming too
dependent on the pill bottle for pain relief. If at all possible, you
should keep drug costs under control and avoid the risk of a habit
forming. That said, there are a number of analgesics or painkillers that
can help you manage the pain. The strongest are the opiates. These are
narcotic and should only be used in short bursts unless you are managing
a severe pain following an operation or a terminal condition like
cancer. The middle ground is held by opioids like tramadol which have
fewer problems of dependence. The strategy is to slowly build up the
dosage until you feel the best level of pain relief and the lowest level
of side effects - most commonly constipation, nausea, vomiting and
drowsiness. The problem with tramadol is that you also slowly build up
tolerance, i.e. your body gets used to the drug and it has less effect.
If you have been learning how to get a good quality of life with a
cognitive behavioral therapist, this is not a problem. You should be
phasing out the drug in any event. But if you have not been learning how
to cope without medication, you may be tempted to increase the dosage.
This is dangerous because you may end up dependent.
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